NEWSPAGE 11 October
2010

(Photo: Samoa Government)

SAMOA: Parliamentary Updates
Source: Government Press Secretariat Press Release

Croxley Stationery NZ Ltd awarded contract

Cabinet has approved awarding of contract to Croxley Stationery NZ Ltd for purchasing of Stationeries for all Government Schools for 2011.

The tender for bids was advertised for public interest and was closed on the 19th July 2010. Five Companies submitted applications and was assessed by a Sub-Committee according to conditions and requirements set for the tender. The Croxley Stationery NZ Ltd was considered the most qualified applicant and was awarded the contract.


NZ$50,000 aid for New Zealand

Cabinet has approved financial assistance of NZ$50,000.00 for the Government of New Zealand to assist areas of their which was affected by an earthquake that struck part of the country.

The district of Canterbury was struck by a 7.1 Richter Scale earthquake three weeks ago. No deaths were recorded but there was extensive damage to both the individuals and Government properties, and also the environment.

Samoa’s aid for New Zealand has again highlighted the Treaty of Friendship between the two countries. New Zealand was in the forefront in assisting Samoa when struck by the tsunami last year.

Samoa has also given aids to other countries like China, Burma, Fiji, Australia and Tonga.


Opening Ceremony of the Aleipata Wharf & Slipway Reconstruction at the Port of Aleipata

Cabinet has approved the official opening ceremony of the Wharf and Slipway Reconstruction at the Port of Aleipata on Friday, 8 October 2010 at 2.30pm.

The development of this project by Government further highlights the Samoa Ports Authority’s focus to rebuild the Aleipata wharf to ease traveling between Tutuila and Samoa, and also to rebuild the slipway damaged by the tsunami of 29 September 2009.

The ceremony will start with welcoming remarks by the Ports Authority’s ACEO, Tua’iaufai Asalemo Tuimauga. The Opening Prayer to bless the completion of the work will be lead by Reverend Faletui Mulitalo before the deliverance of the Keynote Address by the Honourable Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi. Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Tuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau will cut the ribbon and Present the Civil Engineering Certificate of Completion of the Wharf.
 

(Photo: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC reaches new enrollment peak in fall 2010
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

The Admissions Office at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has tabulated the final enrollment figure for the fall 2010 semester as 2,193, yet another enrollment peak for the College. With fall enrollment traditionally higher than in spring due to the influx of high school graduates, the current semester marks the fifth year in a row in which ASCC has reached a new enrollment peak.

While the numbers speak for themselves, various stakeholders at the College point to a number of different factors to explain the steadily increasing enrollment. “I think the economy has something to do with it,” said Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Irene Helsham. “Students know that they can take many of the same 100 and 200 level courses at ASCC that they would have to take off-island, and at a fraction of the cost. Because we maintain our accreditation with WASC, most Hawaii and mainland schools and colleges will accept transfer credits for our 100 and 200 level classes. With many households struggling economically, it makes more sense now than ever for students to do their first two years at ASCC before going off island.”

With financial aid resources recently increased thanks to ARRA stimulus funding, and US nationals automatically qualifying for the PELL grant, most American Samoan students with the qualifying grade point averages and SAT scores have the opportunity to attend ASCC with their educational expenses covered by the US government for up to four semesters. Added to this incentive, for several years now the College has held recruitment activities in the local high schools, which enables counselors to meet one-on-one with students and explain the advantages of choosing ASCC. The College has also steadily expanded its range of study options, including its new evening classes. Specialized programs such as Nursing and Teacher Education attract students with long-term career goals in those fields, while the Trades & Technology Division offers classes in computers, electronics, automotive service, and more, for both traditional students as well as community members seeking to upgrade their professional qualifications.

Admissions Officer Jim Sutherland has noticed an increase in local students who start college off island, but then transfer to ASCC. “Some students have a really hard time adjusting to college life off island,” Sutherland reflected, “or the reasons they come could have more to do with family or financial concerns.” Evidently, word of the challenges American Samoan students face at off-island schools has filtered back home. Three ASCC students, Taufau Siliva, Richard Sagapolutele and Tapuni Liu, all said they had heard firsthand of friends and former classmates starting college off island only to return and enroll at ASCC. Siliva talked about how American Samoan students often feel unprepared for the culture shock of leaving home , while Sagapolutele added, “down here they feel more equal.”

Siliva, Sagapolutele and Liu all take English 90, an English Language Institute (ELI) writing class taught by Mrs. Florangel Calumpang, who asked her students to compose a paragraph on why they chose to attend ASCC. What these students wrote provides some insight into the rising popularity of the College. Unlike previous generations of local high school students who strived to start college off island directly out of high school, nearly all of Calumpang’s students said they would prefer not to leave home, at least for the early stages of their college careers. “Why do I need to go abroad while ASCC offers the same AA and BA degrees as they do in the states?” asked Siliva. Liu, who wants to be the first member of his family to graduate from college, said, “I think it would be better for me to attend ASCC and be around my own culture for two years before I go off island.”

Many of the ELI students wrote how ASCC offers them continued access to their peer group and familiar surroundings. “Most students attending ASCC are Samoans,” said Sola Mailo, “and we’re friendly and help each other.” Chesed Afalava appreciates that “they use two languages here, so we understand the teachers better because sometimes they speak in Samoan.” Upulasi Opapo chose ASCC because, “I like going to school with Samoan people, because they understand me very well and I get to share the same culture, language and lifestyle.” Faailoilo Letufuga echoed this sentiment: “Being close to family and friends is all that matters to me. I’ve chosen to attend ASCC to keep a promise my friends and I made.”

President Dr. Seth Galea’i said he appreciates that more students have chosen to begin or continue their college career with ASCC, but emphasized that community support remains crucial to the College being able to accommodate them. “Our enrollment has more than doubled in the last 10 years, but our faculty, campus facilities and other resources have not kept pace. We've added the evening courses to provide services for more students, but we’re at the limit of what our current faculty and adjuncts can provide. Classes are full, faculty are teaching overloads, and the demand continues to grow,” said Dr. Galea’i. “This indicates a need to expand our infrastructure, increase our staff, and more than ever strive to maintain academic standards aligned to our WASC accreditation. With the support of the public and private sectors, I know we can accomplish this.”

Photo Caption: A section of English 90, an ELI class taught by Florangel Calumpang (front, centre), shared their views on why they attend ASCC. Enrollment at the College hit a new peak of 2,193 for fall 2010.
 

(Photo: Fiji Embassy, Washington DC)

FIJI: President pays tribute
Source: Fiji Times

Many decisions over the last 40 years were made by leaders, who believed they would take the nation forward.

President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau paid tribute to all those who contributed to the development and modernisation of Fiji.

In his Fiji Day message, he said Fiji had stated in its relations with the international community that "we be allowed to govern our nation the way we know best".

"We have been criticised and shunned by some for determining our own destiny, but we will not be deterred," he said.

"We will work closely with those who care to consult with us and to understand our deep complexities.

"We will embrace their assistance in helping us to find suitable solutions.

"To those who have closed the doors on us, we will tirelessly seek through quiet diplomacy to reopen those doors including those doors of the Commonwealth."

Ratu Epeli also said government's commitment to the achievements of the millennium development goals attest to its unwavering belief that it is responsible for the well being of all the people of this nation.

He said Fiji must continue to work hard to achieve the MDGs "and hopefully by 2015".

Photo Caption: The President of Fiji, His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.
 

(Photo: Stephen Richards / Conservation International)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Fascinating new species discovered
Source: Solomon Star

A thumbnail-sized frog with a long snout, a brilliant green katydid with bright pink eyes and a mouse with a white-tipped tail are among 200 species scientists have discovered in Papua New Guinea.

The findings were unveiled this week by Washington DC-based Conservation International, whose researchers discovered a kaleidoscopic array of critters during two expeditions to the South Pacific island nation in 2009.

Among the finds: 24 frog species, scores of spiders and around 100 insects including ants and dragonflies that appear to have never been described in scientific literature before, the conservation group said.

"They tell us how little we still know about the world," research team leader Stephen Richards said.

"There's a lot of concern, quite rightly, about biodiversity loss and climate change and the impacts on biodiversity and what biodiversity means to us. ... Then we do projects like this and we discover, 'Hey - we don't even know what biodiversity is out there.'"

In April 2009, the scientists flew to the Nakanai Mountains of the island of New Britain, and then travelled by dugout canoe, on foot and by helicopter to a remote research area of the rainforest.

There, they found scores of fascinating animals, Richards said, including a mouse with a white-tipped tail that appears to have no close relatives and represents an entirely new genus.

The team also found a strange little frog only 2cm long that belongs to a group of frogs previously thought to live only in the Solomon Islands.

"It was a complete surprise to find that," said Richards, who is based in Cairns, Australia.

The second expedition, in September 2009, took the team to the Muller Range Mountains in the country's Southern Highlands.

The scientists discovered several new katydids, including one that jabs predators with its unusually big and spiny legs.

"The discovery of any new species is significant because it helps document the biodiversity on this planet, and, more importantly, what we can lose in the future if we don't care for our environment," said Craig Franklin, a zoology professor at The University of Queensland in Australia who did not participate in the research.

"So it's important work - it's critical work - for biologists to go out there and do these studies."

Photo Caption: Potentially new species of frog discovered in Papua New Guinea (DNA analysis pending).

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: Sailing the Pacific Voyage at the world meeting on biodiversity
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

“The Pacific Voyage” will be the central theme of Pacific islands attending the World’s biggest biodiversity conference this year. The 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) will be meeting in Nagoya, Japan this month bringing together thousands of participants from around the globe to discuss international biodiversity issues.

Our corner of the planet intends to have a strong presence with representation from the Pacific region and a raised united voice which has been embodied in a campaign launched by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) called “The Pacific Voyage”.

“We want to highlight to the World that the Pacific has some great success stories in nature conservation, and that we would do more with even stronger support from the international region,” said Seema Deo, SPREP’s Education and Social Communications Adviser.

“The Pacific island people have traditionally valued and respected their biodiversity. In our region our biodiversity is our livelihood, it has brought us our cultural heritage and helped carve our identity as Pacific islands people. We have plans to do much more with conserving our natural environment and we’d like to raise this with our global community.”

The Pacific will be hosting several side events to showcase nature conservation successes in the region, as well as have the opportunity to display materials and promotional products in an exhibition over a week. “The Pacific Voyage” has covers the themes of “One Ocean”, “Many People”, “Unique Plants and Animals” to raise visibility at this conference.

One of the main features of the region’s campaign is the launch of a case study on whales titled: “Ocean Voices, Lessons from the Whales for the CBD”, this case study outlines the threats to whales in the Pacific region, the status and trends of humpback whales in Oceania and the collaborative conservation measures taken by Pacific island countries and territories. This case study is a collaborative effort of partners from throughout the region.

“It’s important that we highlight our region’s conservation successes and identify opportunities for upscaling or building on these. At the same time we need to take stock of what isn’t working and seek assistance to address these challenges. The CBD COP is the ideal opportunity to share our experiences.”

To see more on “The Pacific Voyage” please visit: http://www.sprep.org/topic/CBD-COP10.asp

To read regular updates on “The Pacific Voyage” at the CBD COP 10, please visit: http://bionesian.blogspot.com